If you saw the 1980s film Dirty Dancing, you probably recall the actress who played Jennifer Grey's mom. Her name is Kelly Bishop. Now 80, she has written a revealing book, The Third Gilmore Girl (Bishop was on the popular TV show), in which she acknowledges she had an affair with a married man years ago whom she loved deeply.
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As is often the case, the situation concluded painfully. Realizing that she was hurting the unidentified man's wife, Bishop ended their relationship. It was probably excruciating to say goodbye.
Let's see what Kelly Bishop had to say about this sad love of long ago.
Kelly Bishop's Relationship With This Man Took Place In The 1960s
She Was In A Broadway Show, 'Golden Rainbow,' In 1967
In her book, Bishop only identifies the man as "a highly-successful publicity agent." Whatever she may have felt for him at the time, Bishop also struggled with the knowledge that what she was doing was not okay.
"I knew that it was wrong," Bishop reportedly said to Fox News Digital via foxnews.com.
Her conscience must have been aching when she thought of his wife.
"You're not supposed to be doing that. He wasn't either... I started thinking about his wife, who may or may not have known about us, who may have experienced other affairs he had. I don't know. But I knew this wasn't fair to her."
Bishop Kept The Affair Largely To Herself
She Only Confided In Two Trusted People
She told just two trustworthy individuals who were close to her about her illicit romantic relationship - Bishop's mom and one friend.
Bishop explains what eventually happened in her book. "Right around the time I left 'Golden Rainbow,' the reality finally sank in that if this man's wife loved him nearly as much as I did, I was doing her a huge, incredibly unkind disservice."
She evidently understood that their relationship had no future so she broke it off.
Kelly Bishop's Romantic Life After That Was Initially Rocky
She married a Broadway stagehand named Peter Miller in 1970, but their union was badly undermined by his gambling addiction. The marriage only lasted five years. When Bishop took her leave, she says she had no money.
Finally, Bishop wed TV host Lee Leonard in 1981. With him, she found joy and stability. He passed away six years ago at 89.
Why did their marriage turn out so well? According to Kelly Bishop,"The secret was honesty and love, along with support - tremendous support on both sides. We were each other's fans. We had a great time. We just loved each other so much, and we respected each other's work. We both knew how much we had so much passion for our own work."
